[Washington, DC] -- National Public Radio® (NPR®) today
announced the appointment of an Ombudsman to receive, independently
investigate and respond to queries from the public regarding editorial
standards in its programming. Jeffrey Dvorkin, who has been NPR's Vice
President, News & Information since 1997, has been named to the post,
effective February 22nd. In this role as NPR's evaluator of fairness,
balance, accuracy and good taste, Dvorkin will operate separately from NPR's
news and cultural programming divisions, reporting directly to President and
CEO Kevin Klose.

Establishing an ombudsman post underscores public
radio's continued commitment to the highest standards of editorial integrity
and provides listeners with a direct link to NPR, says Klose. Jeffrey's
distinguished career in broadcast journalism spans nearly three decades, and
makes him uniquely qualified to fill this important new role which extends
the public service mission of NPR.

Dvorkin will also write a weekly Internet column on
NPR Online at www.npr.org, and will present his views on journalistic
issues on-air on NPR programs.

As Vice President, News & Information, Dvorkin has
been responsible for upholding NPR's editorial standards and ensuring the
excellence of news and information programming. According to the recent NPR
Newsmagazine Study (Paragon Research, 1999), eight in ten listeners believe
that NPR news is better quality than other news sources. The study
revealed strong listener loyalty to NPR newsmagazines such as Morning
Edition and All Things Considered, plus very high regard for NPR hosts and
journalists -- nine in ten listeners said that they trust NPR's
journalists.

While some newspapers in the U.S. have had ombudsmen
since the 1960s, it is rare for U.S. broadcast media to appoint ombudsmen.
While many public broadcasters overseas have ombudsmen, this represents a
step forward for public radio in the United States, says Dvorkin. While it
keeps NPR at the forefront of editorial excellence, it also reflects the
maturity of our news operation as we approach our 30th anniversary. NPR
will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its incorporation on February 26,
2000.

A search for a new Vice President, News &
Information is underway. In the meantime, Managing Editor Bruce Drake will
serve as Acting Vice President, News & Information. While he fulfills that
role, Assistant Managing Editor Barbara Rehm will step in as Acting Managing
Editor.

Before coming to NPR, Dvorkin was Chief Journalist
and Managing Editor for CBC Radio News and Information, a division of the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He acted as CBC's representative on
matters of journalistic policy for listeners and viewers, advocacy groups
and government agencies. He was responsible for all radio network newscasts,
as well as current affairs and information programs, for the English CBC
Radio Networks.

Dvorkin's background includes special assignments
for arts journalism and consultant work with journalism groups in Slovenia,
Hungary and Poland. He was a senior writer and editor for National TV News
in Toronto, and a producer for the National TV News Parliamentary Bureau in
Ottawa. He began his professional career as a sub-editor for CBS News in
London.

He is a graduate of the University of Alberta,
holding a B.A. in European History and French literature. He was awarded a
Masters in History from the University of Toronto, and a Masters in
Philosophy from the London School of Economics at the University of London.

Audience numbers for NPR's highly acclaimed
programming, which is distributed on 625 U.S. public radio stations, via the
Internet, and overseas through NPR Worldwide, have attained unprecedented
heights. 15 percent of Americans listened to NPR regularly in 1998, up from
5 percent in 1990 (Pew Research News Consumption Survey, 1998). In Fall
1998, 14.6 million Americans per week listened to NPR, up from 13.9 million
in Fall 1997 (Arbitron). NPR Worldwide, NPR's steadily growing international
service in 50 countries, is now available via 140 radio stations, and to 32
million satellite and cable households overseas.